At least 27 people were killed Friday in a road crash in South Africa's northern Limpopo province after a truck swerved into oncoming traffic when its tyre burst, a local minister said.

The accident involving multiple vehicles killed 25 travelling in a mini-bus taxi and two more in a sports utility vehicle.

"Overall we lost 27 people with four others sustaining serious bodily injuries," said the provincial transport minister Makoma Makhurupetje.

"What happened today is nothing short of a disaster," she said in a statement.

Earlier she told AFP the truck had burst one of its front tyres.

"Unfortunately it crossed over into oncoming traffic with another four vehicles and one of the vehicles was a taxi (minibus)," Makhurupetge said.

Despite having one of the most sophisticated road networks on the continent, South Africa battles with a high rate of road fatalities blamed mostly on speeding, reckless driving, unroadworthy vehicles and failure to use seat belts.